Leaders call for Burge to testify in case

April 14, 2009 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Religious leaders are calling on former police commander Jon Burge to testify in the case of a man imprisoned for murder.

In 1990, Cortez Brown was sentenced to death for the murders of two men. Former Governor George Ryan commuted his sentence to life in prison.

On Tuesday, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Michael Pfleger and others asked a judge to force Burge to testify at brown's hearing next month. They say Burge and a detective under his command tortured brown into signing a false confession.

"We wanted to let the world know that this young man is not alone...that there's a community, a rising community that is behind him. And not only him but all of the others that are still languishing in prison under similar charges that they were tortured to confess to," said Minister Louis Farrakhan, Nation of Islam.

A judge will hear arguments on the motions in two weeks. Burge is awaiting trial on charges that he lied about he torture allegations against him.

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